The members of the Sutton and Croydon Green Party agreed at their Annual General Meeting to publish a letter highlighting our disappointment with the level of transphobia and so-called ‘gender critical’ ideology being allowed to continue within the Party and publicly express our intent as a local party to find ways to change this.
We wish to express our wholehearted support for the Green Party policy which “recognises that trans men are men, trans women are women, and that non-binary identities exist and are valid. We shall respect transgender and non-binary people’s identities as real. The Green Party shall include, and push for further acceptance of, transgender and non-binary people within all areas of society.”
We also wholeheartedly believe in the Green Party core value that states “A healthy society is based on voluntary co-operation between empowered individuals in a democratic society, free from discrimination whether based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social origin or any other prejudice.”
Those people who disagree with our policy recognising the rights of trans and non-binary people are not just expressing a difference of opinion; they are disagreeing with the fundamental principles of Green politics. We should not tolerate views in the Party that go against the core values of the Green Party.
We wish to commend the work of LGBTIQA+ Greens in helping to educate members and overcome genuine misunderstandings about gender identity, particularly through their inclusion workshops. Despite these efforts we are disappointed that some members are still actively campaigning against equal rights for trans and non-binary people.
The activities of these anti-equality campaigners are bringing great harm and distress to Green Party members and bringing the Party into disrepute. Members who repeatedly or unapologetically break our code of conduct by attacking and discriminating against other members on the grounds of their gender identity should be suspended or expelled from the Party.
We are also in danger of bringing the Party into disrepute if it is not ensured that the Party’s disciplinary processes act in line with the Party’s own policies. We note that the Scottish Green Party has recently voted to formally sever its ties with the Green Party of England and Wales over the failure to tackle transphobia within the Party.
We also note the Party’s policy on hate crime that states “In a just society everyone should be protected from crimes motivated by hatred and discrimination based on ethnicity, colour, gender, trans, sexual orientation, religion, social origin, age, disability including learning difficulties or any other prejudice. A comprehensive strategy will be adopted to tackle, significantly reduce and ultimately end hate crime.”
As members of the Green Party we believe that we cannot be an example for others if we are not living up to our own policies within the Party.
M. King
P. Underwood
R. Patel
M. Post
T. Hague
E. Garrod
M. Vodden
P. Ainscough
